Morse code

1.

2.

Introduction
Have you heard of Morse code? Perhaps you know what it is but do you
know why it was developed or what it looks like?
We’re going to learn about a way of communicating that goes back nearly
200 years and is still in use today.

3.

A Brief History of Communication
Thousands of years ago, long before
there were phones or computers,
people communicated over long
distances through smoke signals,
flashing sunlight on shiny surfaces,
playing drums and written symbols.
Throughout the centuries, people have
found more sophisticated ways of
communicating over miles of land and
in the early 1800s, Morse code was
one of them.

4.

A Telegraph
Before we can learn about Morse code, we need to understand what a
telegraph is.
A telegraph allows messages to be communicated along a wire over a
distance. An electric telegraph requires electrical connections to transmit
the signals.
Did You
Know…
?
The word ‘telegraph’ comes from the Greek words ‘tele’,
meaning ‘distant’, and ‘graphein’ which means ‘to write’.

5.

Morse Code
Morse code relies on letters, words and punctuation being represented by
dots and dashes. The person receiving the message must know what the
arrangements of the dots and dashes mean to be able to read it.
This simple code is effective because it
can be sent in a number of ways:
visually, such as using a flashing light
in short (dot) or long (dash) bursts; in
written form with dots and dashes
marked on a page or through sound
with either short or long ‘beeps’.
Have a
go…
See if you can write a message using the dots and dashes.
Can your friend work out the message?

6.

Morse Code
The equipment most commonly used to send and receive a message using
Morse code is a telegraph key and a receiver.
The person sending the message taps
the round end of the telegraph key which
creates an electrical signal. The taps are
either short for a dot or long for a dash.
The signal is then transmitted, either
through radio waves or along a
telegraph wire, to a receiver.
The receiver turns the signal
into marks on paper or a
sound so the dots and dashes
can be decoded and the
message understood.

7.

The Inventor
Samuel FB Morse was born 27th April 1791 in Massachusetts, United
States. He was an American painter and inventor and he created the
electric telegraph and later, Morse code.
He went to Yale University and became
interested in a new phenomenon called
electricity. After some time spent as an
artist, he later became interested in the
possibility of an electric telegraph being
used to send messages over long
distances.
He began working on his invention in 1832
and by 1844, he had developed it as a
system that could really work.

8.

Alfred Vail
At first, Morse’s system only transmitted numbers. The person who
received the messages would then need to use a dictionary to translate
the numbers into words. This took a long time and wasn’t very efficient.
Samuel Morse began working with
another inventor called Alfred Vail. He
was a talented mechanic who agreed
to construct the telegraph equipment.
He improved the design of the Morse
code equipment, making it more
compact. He also worked out the final
form of the code itself. Alfred’s great
skill was invaluable to the
development of Morse code and how
it was transmitted.

9.

The First Message
On 24th May 1844, Morse and Vail were given the opportunity to
demonstrate this new invention to the US government called Congress.
They were allowed to build an electric telegraph just for the demonstration
from Washington DC to Baltimore. It was 35 miles long.
The first message they sent using Morse code was, “What God hath
wrought”.
It was a huge success.

10.

World Wars
Before Morse code, messages were still hand written and delivered by
hand by a messenger on horseback. The use of Morse code during the
First and Second World Wars was invaluable. During the Second World
War, Morse code was used as a means of communication between
warships and the navy bases. Ordinary radio waves were easily identified
by the enemy but messages sent by Morse code could not be so easily
deciphered.
War planes used Morse code to tell headquarters of the locations of enemy
bases, troops and ships.
The use of the code certainly saved lives as messages were communicated
about the effects the weather might have on the warships as well as
passing on any intelligence about the whereabouts of the enemy.
Messages were sent throughout battles at a very fast speed and were
unable to be identified by the enemy.

11.

World Wars
The most common signal for distress is SOS in Morse code. It means Save
Our Souls and is sent like this:
… ___ …

12.

The Morse Legacy
In 1872, Samuel Morse died
in New York from pneumonia.
He was 81 years old.
Morse’s name lives on
through a method of
communication that was used
for over 100 years and
changed the world. It saved
lives and paved the way for
many inventions from the
corded telephone, cordless
telephone, video calls to the
common mobile phone.